


Seven Days

by CamilleCM



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-23 13:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamilleCM/pseuds/CamilleCM
Summary: Small moments, big love.A self-inflicted challenge of seven Mondler short stories in seven days, because 7 is their number. Based on off-screen moments and missing scenes from the show.





	1. Day One—Up Against The Window

I can't stop smiling. When was the last time I felt this happy?

Was it for the few weeks I was dating Kathy? It can't be. It never felt this right, this natural or this hot. Maybe before my parents divorced? I can't even remember. I'm trying to grasp the reason behind this elation.

I know if feels special because it's her.

Deep down I always knew sex would be good with Monica. I'm a guy, I can't help it―of course, I imagined it, dreamed of it. Not only is she smoking hot and temperamental, but I've known her for so long. The mind wanders … What I didn't count on was how much fun it would be. Truthfully, I never thought sex could be this fun before. How spontaneous it could be, how much I'd enjoy the challenge of keeping up with her.

We've been doing this for months and at first, keeping it a secret was a necessity. This thing between us, unnamed and palpable, so very new and fragile, had to be protected from gossip, from angry brothers, from jokes and mockery but now … The thrill of secrecy is making the sex so much hotter, it's putting my dirtiest magazines to shame.

Monica is insatiable and I can never get enough of her. It seems the thinner the line we're threading, the hotter the sex is and the more she wants me.

No one ever wanted me so much. It's a thrill in itself.

We're lying on the couch, in the middle of her living room. We've locked the door just in case―we're not that reckless―and we're basking in the glow of another round of sex. I can't believe I just had sex with Monica on the floor of her living room, on her couch, on top of the desk by the window, right up against the window. I must have died and woken up in heaven.

She loves this and seems to thrive in these situations. We've had sex in the closet of the coffeehouse, in the storage room of her restaurant, in my office. Sex against the window isn't even the kinkiest sex we've had so far but somehow, it feels different.

When Ross noticed Ugly Naked Guy was moving out, I mentioned to Monica that I always wondered what sex on her balcony would be like, but it was too late if her brother lived across the building. She suggested we should have sex now in the apartment just in case he gets the place, so that we don't have regrets.

Bless her deliciously wicked mind. It's fair to say I was instantly ready for action.

I have a confession to make. We've had desk sex, drunk sex on the first night, phone sex, video-taped sex, but recently … I have a feeling we've been having _I'm falling for you_ sex.

I look down at her and there's a dreamy look on her face, her eyes are closed. She looks so calm and relaxed. During sex, she is incredibly hot―the way she moves and talks and responds drives me crazy… sensual and fused one moment, fiery and explosive the next. And when it's over, she's nonchalant and unabashedly unwound.

"Hey," I call as I make sure my breath is tickling her neck and she turns to look up at me.

"Hey," she says back and grins at me with that war-stopping smile. Who am I kidding? I am definitely falling for her.

"I'm sorry this was more desperate screwing than lovemaking," I say.

"You'll hear no complaints from me."

I lean to kiss her. Slowly and deeply. Not our first kiss, not our last but I can feel this emotion again, and it's been overwhelming lately. I want to say something, but I don't want this to be over. I am her boyfriend and she is my girlfriend, but we are _secret_ boyfriend and _secret _girlfriend, and I don't know the rules for when someone catches feelings in a situation like this. Should I say what I'm feeling for her? What I'm feeling but am incapable to put into words because it is too strong, too pure and I don't want to scare her off and I don't want _this_ to end if she doesn't feel the same way.

Her hands come to my face so she can tilt me and press herself against me carefully, and that's enough for all the million thoughts running in my head to stop.

"I need to tell you some things," I say earnestly.

She opens her eyes and examines my face. "Me too," she says with a small smile, and I know what we feel, we must feel together at the same time. It's oddly comforting and calming. Like we don't need words and we don't need to rush things. She is there, and I am there with her. She is not leaving and I am staying.

"Let's say things afterward, shall we?" I correct myself.

She nods and chuckles. "After we christen every piece of furniture?"

"You up for it?"

"What do you think?" she says with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But we need to make sure we're undisturbed and we're fully stocked, I'm kind of hungry, aren't you?"

"I am," I say, trying to come up with a solution on the spot. I don't want to lose momentum. "How about I make a quick trip to the coffeehouse, get us coffee and muffins?"

"You're so efficient!"

She gets up and reaches for her robe and I do the same, trying to find my scattered shirt and pants around.

I dress quickly and she walks with me to the door. "Be quick, I'll be waiting for you."

I smile and something takes over me. I wrap an arm around her and pin her against the door to kiss her hard and rough. She kisses me back with a tenderness and a fierceness that I know now comes from her whole heart, I feel it too. Even when I tried to hold back, I've always given all of myself to her.

I open the door and look at her one last time before heading downstairs.

I do know why I am so happy; life is better when we're together.


	2. Day Two—Honeymoon

"You're staring again," I say to Chandler as I tilt my head in his direction, lifting my sunglasses to look at him. He's gloriously lying on the sunlounger beside me, his skin all smooth and tan. Of course, what he doesn't know is that I've been secretly staring at him too. I'm better at hiding it.

I don't know if it's because we're on our honeymoon, or that we're having a ridiculous amount of sex, or simply that we're in another country, but I love this version of Chandler. He's relaxed and carefree, comfortable with being practically naked by the pool.

I'm glad I found his Speedo before we left, it leaves nothing to the imagination. I might be biased, but I don't think my husband has anything to be ashamed of in that area.

_My husband_. It feels so good to say it.

Chandler just smiles at me lazily, unperturbed. "We're married and on our honeymoon, I can stare as much as I want, babe."

"Oh, now it's your God-given right?" I tease.

His mouth cracks into a lopsided grin. "_As God decreed soe wee agreed_. You heard the minister―I mean, Joey."

I laugh and drop the magazine I was reading. I take a sip out of my cocktail drink without taking my eyes off him. He's still ogling me, and I blush. He's my husband and we're on our honeymoon, but he can still make me blush like the first time we met and my cheeks were burning from talking to my brother's cute college roommate with the ridiculous hair.

"Is this why you asked me to wear this old shrinking red bikini? So you won't take your eyes off me?"

"One of the reasons, yes."

I arch an eyebrow in question, surprised by his mysterious, seductive tone. "What are the other reasons?"

He turns on the side and reaches his hand to stroke my cheek. "Do you remember the last time we were at a beach?"

My eyes narrow and I chuckle nervously, shaking my head.

"Well, I do," he says, his voice low and slow, sending chills down my spine. Over the years, he picked up a few things: a better haircut for one but also how to turn my knees weak in an instant.

"Last time we went to the beach was Montauk, remember? I kept asking you if I could be your boyfriend. You were wearing the very same magnificent red bikini―"

"Wait!" I gasp, feigning outrage. "Is this a weird power trip or something? What, now you _got _me?" I try to scold him but I know the dimples at the corners of my mouth betray me.

He laughs it up. "Is that okay? I'm basking in the glory of it all. I'm married to Monica Geller. I won in life, baby."

I shake my head and bend my face near his. "You say a stupid thing then you say a thing like that and I can't resist you. You're evil."

"I love you too."

He reaches a hand to my hair and that's all I need to join him on his chair and wrap myself around him. I savor his touch and the way desire shoots through my body from that simple act of him touching my hair. He's got that power over me and he knows it.

I kiss him without holding back, my tongue sweeping across his, and he deepens the kiss, seeking more.

"Mrs. Bing … People are watching," he teases me as we come up for air.

"I don't care," I mumble against his lips, and I thread my fingers in his sun-kissed hair. I look into his blue eyes slowly opening and I see so much love and tenderness, it floors me.

"I'm married to Chandler Bing. I won in life."


	3. Day Three—Out In The Open

After a long day at work, which pretty much describes every day at my job, it's nice to have someone to come home to and it's nicer when that person isn't Joey.

It's been a few weeks since Monica and I went public with our relationship. I'd say we overcame the bumps―we dealt with the pitfalls of revealing we were an item to our friends and our relationship getting serious. Ross freaked out then calmed down, I freaked out then apologized by proposing, but ever since, it's been a sweet, smooth ride.

Actually, it's been going so well I'm tempted to tell Monica I'm loving this even more than our secret trysts.

In my book, any sex with Monica is great. Hot, secret sex is amazing. But sex on our terms, without hiding and sneaking out, then cuddling and falling asleep together is the absolute best.

Tonight, she's waiting for me in my apartment, sitting on the Barcalounger, with wine and popcorn at the ready and movies to watch.

I changed into my most comfortable pajama pants, and I marvel again at how at ease I am with her. I've never felt more relaxed in a relationship, not worried to make a girlfriend run away if she got to see the _real_ me and be horrified at what's she's discovering.

We can just be ourselves like we've always been. I'm still amazed she doesn't mind my quirks―my silly pajamas, my bad jokes, my vests or my not-so-secret love of show tunes. I love being privy to all the quirks of Monica too. From her strict phone pen rules to her love of cheese and old romantic songs, from sharing her heart to sharing her home with family and friends, from kinky tape-measuring sex to post-coital cuddles.

We sit together in my chair, turning the TV on and a bowl of popcorn on our lap. I'm pretty sure this is what the definition of happiness must be in the dictionary, not only because Monica makes the most amazing air-popped popcorn in the world.

We watch It's A Wonderful Life then West Side Story―something for her and something for me, she joked―and we reach the end as I rattle the bowl of popcorn. I sniff the inside pretending to look for more and she snickers at me.

"I'm cutting you off," she says, and I give her my best puppy-eyed look.

She laughs and stands up, taking the bowl to the kitchen counter. She comes back and kisses my forehead before heading to my bedroom.

As I wait for her, I reach for the newspaper on the table, working the crossword puzzle I started this morning.

Monica comes out of my bedroom wearing my pajama top. A huge smile lifts my lips and she comes to sit on my lap.

"Is that the crossword puzzle?" she asks.

"Yeah. Time for bed?"

She picks up the pen and raises an eyebrow. "Oh no, let's do it together. You know, I'm actually pretty good at this."

I laugh lightly. "I have no doubt, but you're sure you want to do this with me?"

"Yes. Is there a reason not to?"

I answer her with a small quirk of my lips. "No reason. I love you."

"I love you too," she says and a grin spreads on her face as she leans to kiss me softly.

The apartment is quiet, we don't really talk except for words we spitball, my humming of West Side Story songs and her cheers after we get words right. It's only us and it's all that matters.


	4. Day Four—Sunday Funday

"It's Sunday Funday!" Chandler says with exaggerated enthusiasm to the twins over their stroller as we walk towards the town square. Erica smiles at her father's antics and coos while Jack just looks up at him, wide-eyed and unfazed by the commotion.

I yawn and Chandler pats my shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. It is Sunday and it is hot; our twins are soon-to-be two-month-old fussy babies who are giving us very little opportunity for a good night's sleep.

I spent the week being grumpy and tired. However, last night, they slept a solid couple of hours without interruption possibly for the first time since they were born, which means we finally slept a little too.

It's my last weekend home before I get back to work. Long maternity leaves don't exist in the restaurant business, and Chandler sensed my sadness this morning and suggested we make a day out of it―our own version of Sunday Funday as he decided to baptize it. Therefore, here we are, walking to the Westchester summer farmers' market in order to pick the finest apples so we can go home, bake a pie for us and make apple puree for the babies.

It's a silly, fun idea and so is Chandler, and I love him for it. He's the only person who can turn my mood in an instant, and he knows a bunch of fresh, local produce and all the recipe ideas it sparkles in my mind, does that for me.

It is a little unfair, all those years of friendship on top of our relationship and marriage, have given him some sort of cheat codes on how to handle me.

We walk around the stalls, and Chandler was right, this definitely improves my mood tenfold. The food is fresh, colors are popping everywhere, and it _does_ smell like it came from a farm.

I get to do all the aroma-sniffing and squeeze-testing I want while Chandler pushes the stroller, with sweet sounds of gurgles coming occasionally out of the twins.

Once I'm packed with everything I need, we decide to sit under a tree in the shade. I lay a picnic blanket down so we can enjoy some of the free samples of food.

I pick up Erica from the stroller and Chandler does the same with Jack, they plop down between us and I take the opportunity to put Erica on her tummy. She immediately twists and tries to roll. Jack, on the other hand, has no problem sitting on his tummy and elbows to stare at us, studying us closely with his big brown eyes like an anthropologist.

I turn to Chandler and smile. "You were right, this is nice."

He laughs and leans to kiss my cheek while holding Jack. "You can't say I bring nothing to this marriage," he says then furrows his brows. "Well, except for bad jokes."

"And dirty laundry," I say with a smirk and he replies to my teasing with a grin.

"You're lucky I love you."

"And you're lucky I love doing laundry."

It's true. I do love doing Chandler's laundry and love _doing laundry_ with Chandler. We smile at each other knowingly.

He grins at the twins, tickling their feet and their little hands try to hold onto his finger. He leans and whispers to them like he's telling them the ultimate secret about life. "And guys, that's how a happy marriage works."


	5. Day Five—Tulsa Time

I enter my hotel room and get rid of my briefcase before flopping down the bed, face first. I turn my head to check the time. 9 P.M. and another day stacked with meetings, I'm pretty sure my soul has left my body.

I retrieve my phone from my pocket to check my voicemail messages and my lips immediately quirk up when I hear her voice.

"Hey honey, I was calling to see how that big meeting went," Monica pauses for a moment, and I sense a slight wobble in her voice. "Well, I just want to check on you. Call me when you can. I miss you and I love you."

I close the phone and shut my eyes. This is going harder than I expected, than any of us did. I was supposed to be home four days a week but setting up the company's Oklahoma office is taking more time than planned.

I already had to give up one weekend and stay here all week.

One whole week without seeing Monica.

I don't know how much longer this can go on. We're not used to being separated, even before we were a couple.

I open my suitcase and take out my pajamas. I smile when I realize they're the ones I was wearing in a much happier hotel room, in London, all those years ago―the blue ones with cowboys on them. Monica loves them, and I guess that's why they're in my suitcase, rolled and placed in a vacuum compression bag, like the rest of my clothes, so that they don't crease, and I don't have to iron them out.

My wife thinks of everything.

My smile grows bigger when I realize she kept the top, I like to imagine she's wearing them to bed.

Oh, God. This is killing me.

Right now, I would give anything just to be with her. Watching TV together, sharing our pajamas, cuddling in bed.

But I can't. I made this stupid mistake and I'm now in Tulsa, Oklahoma and she's in New York. We're trying to have a baby and I want her to have everything, I want every single one of her dreams to come true. I need this job no matter how much I hate it, how much I hate this.

I open my phone and call her. It only rings once before she picks up.

"Hi, sweetie."

"Chandler! How was your day, honey?"

I sigh. "Awful. Yours?"

"Not bad. I have so much to tell you about."

"Oh yeah? What's new?"

"Well, Phoebe met someone! Don't tell her but I think it could be serious. You know how I have a sense about these things?"

I laugh. Just hearing her voice makes my day better. "Sure."

"Oh, and Rachel says Emma smiled for the first time. I'm not really sure she did but I said I believe her, so you believe her too now."

I settle on the bed, one hand holding my head, and the other holding the phone to my ear. I can hear her letting out a long breath at the end of her last sentence. And I know, she can't do light-hearted catch-up talk any longer.

"Chandler," she says, her voice thin like air.

"I know, baby. I know. I miss you so much. It's hard."

"It's_ so_ hard."

The tone of her voice pierces through me and I have to swallow hard to keep the sadness from overwhelming me.

"I can't really function without you," she says, and my chest tightens. "Without seeing you every day, you know? The other day I had the realization we've never really been apart for a decade. Even before we were dating, I'm so used to seeing you every day."

I smile sadly. I love when that happens, when it seems like we're reading each other's thoughts. "I had the same realization," I say softly, and I can hear her quiet chuckle on the phone. "We will be ok, honey. We're strong, we can face anything. Remember our wedding vows? Together, there's nothing we can't handle."

"I know we can do this. I just miss you."

"I love listening to your voice."

"I love listening to your voice too." Her tone is calmer and I feel a little bit better.

"Are you in bed?" I ask her.

"Yes. I have an early morning shift. Can you …" she stops, hesitating slightly. "Can you keep talking to me, it's easier going to sleep if I can pretend you're right there with me."

I grin and I sit up against the headboard. Ready to tell her all about my day, my boring office stories, all the things that made me think of her, all the jokes I wanted to say to make her laugh.

We'll be okay, but the weekend can't come soon enough.


	6. Day Six—Crystal Duck

Chandler throws the little foam ball to me from his bed to Ross's bed where I'm sitting right now while my brother is pacing in the middle of their dorm room. I notice suddenly that we're throwing the ball to each other by making sure not to hit him, I smile to Chandler when he makes the same realization.

"Come on, guys! I need help! It's her birthday, I need something big, something expensive, a spectacular gift!"

Ross looks frantic and we give each other a look. "Well, what does she like?" I ask him, after catching Chandler's throw.

"I think she likes to golf and ... music?"

Oh boy, he doesn't really know this girl that well and he's already head over heels for her. This bodes well.

"Take her to a movie or something," Chandler suggests.

Ross stops in his steps and scowls at him. "No, no, Carol isn't my _buddy_. Carol is my girlfriend! I need a gift that tells her how much I love spending time with her and how deeply I care about her!"

"Oh, you need a gift to tell her you _looove_ her," Chandler mocks and I have to purse my lips to avoid laughing.

"I don't _looove_ her," Ross angrily mimics then calms down. "_Yet_. She's just my girlfriend and we're not there yet. I don't want to freak her out."

"You're totally there, you're both in love with each other, Ross," I tell him and this time he turns to me, a sheepish smile on his face.

I throw the ball to Chandler as Ross resumes walking back and forth. Chandler almost drops the ball for the millionth time and I glare at him, he looks apologetically at me in return.

I shake my head and address my brother once again. Truthfully, I just want him to stop moving and badgering us, I'm starting to really get into this ball game. "Is there anything else she likes? A personal thing so you can give her something no one's ever offered her before."

Ross stops and thinks it over, his face lights up suddenly. "She loves ducks! We went to the zoo and she couldn't get enough of them!"

I am left speechless and I look over to Chandler. I know he will love this and he'll come up with a good retort.

"Why don't you get her a multi-carat crystal duck then?" Chandler jokes, chuckling at his quip and I laugh with him. We both look tentatively at Ross, waiting for him to scold us.

But he doesn't. Instead, he lifts one of his eyebrows, a huge grin spreads across his face.

"Yes! A crystal duck. That's genius!" he says, and he comes over to hug each one of us before darting out of the room.

"Oh my God!" I say. "Did that just happen?"

"Yep. Your brother's in love and it's a crystal duck that's going to get him outed."

I laugh once more while making sure to catch the ball. "Can you imagine her reaction?"

I throw the ball at him; he catches it and squeezes it for a moment. I look at him to find that goofy grin of his fading out, a frown appearing instead.

"I guess it's really serious, this thing between them. We'll see even less of him now," Chandler says and I'm suddenly not in the mood to laugh anymore.

"Yeah," I reply quietly. "Guess you're stuck with me now!" I say cheerfully, trying to lift his mood. Why, exactly? I don't know but I don't like seeing Chandler sad. My brows pinch together as I realize it's the first time since we've started to hang out―toe incident notwithstanding―that I've seen him like this, looking genuinely sad,

"I'm sorry to inform you, you're the one stuck with me," Chandler says with a smile, and it's kind of cute the way he smiles. It's warm and inviting and I marvel again at how close we're getting lately. Frankly, I don't come over just to visit Ross anymore, I also come to their dorm to hang out with my good friend Chandler.

Just a couple of months ago, I thought there was too much bad blood between us― literally―and I was way too upbeat and he was way too aloof for us to get along, yet here we are.

I grin then decide to throw the ball at him without warning, he's surprised and tries to catch it but falls over the bed comically.

I burst out laughing once more. He's such a mess, but I'm sure we're going to enjoy each other's company while Ross and Carol ride off into the sunset.

"You're such a dropper!"


	7. Day One—God Bless You, Chandler Bing

"You still want that baby?"

I can see Monica playing those words back in her head and coming to terms with what they mean. A huge grin lights up her face, her eyes shining with shock and happiness. I don't think I've ever seen her this happy. I'm over the moon myself and I can't help but twist with joy.

She usually hates my stupid happy dance but right now, she doesn't care. She runs to me and we hug tightly.

She looks up at me and says in a cheerful voice, "God bless you, Chandler Bing!"

Erica picked us. We're going to be parents in a few months.

This is one of the happiest moments of our lives, and I don't think I ever felt this proud.

Monica kisses me and we hug once more. I know how much she wants this, how much she always wanted it, and I know how hard it was for her to give up.

I couldn't let her and us sign the papers, knowing the agency made a mistake and we weren't the parents Erica thought we were. But when I saw how crushed and devastated Monica was, I couldn't stand and do nothing either.

There is something she brings out in me, something I never suspected I had: Guts. I would do anything for this woman. So I went to Erica and I was ready to beg.

I made Monica a promise almost a decade ago. I don't know if she remembers it. I suggested to her that if she didn't have kids by the age of forty, I would have one with her. I had to live the past year with the knowledge I couldn't give her a baby, that my sperm was no good and she turned down my offer to get a donor.

She didn't want to be pregnant if I couldn't be the father. It still leaves me speechless.

I would have begged Erica if I had to. I want us to do this the right way, but I would have done everything in my power to make Monica's dream come true.

She's meant to be a mother and I already know she's going to be the greatest mom any kid could hope for.

I feel her sobbing on my shoulder, I lift her chin and smile when I realize it's tears of joy.

"How?" she asks me incredulously.

I just shrug and wipe away a tear from her face. "I just told her no one will make a better mother for her baby than you. It's not a big deal."

She holds me tighter and kisses me suddenly. "_It is_. It is a big deal. I can't believe … Oh Chandler, you're going to be the best dad in the world." Another tear slips down her cheek.

I try to hide my blush by kissing her forehead. This is all so intense and it's hitting me like a brick. I swallow hard, my own tears are clogging my throat and struggling to come out. We lock eyes again and we stay silent, just smiling at each other, taking in the moment in silence when it hits me again.

"We're having a baby!" I tell her and she laughs. My eyes are welling up suddenly and I can't fight it anymore.

We decide to sit down and take deep breaths. My heart is lodged somewhere in my throat, I reach for her hand and clasp it tightly.

Falling in love with Monica, being loved by her, being married to her … When I remember this is my reality, it takes my breath away. And to be here, with the adoption papers for our baby being signed right now on the other side of this room … The words fail me. The mind, it reels.

"Chandler," Monica says, and I turn to her. "Thank you," she whispers to me.

I lean forward and rest my lips on hers. Hers are soft and shaking a little, and her hand comes up to my neck. If she can feel my pulse, it's drilling against her fingers right now.

This moment feels bigger than life.

I get lost into the kiss and then the door opens, our adoption case manager comes up to us with the new, correct papers.

"Congratulations on your little family!"

It's here and it's real. Chandler and Monica and little baby Bing.

We are a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody who read, left kudos and commented on this story. I hope you enjoyed this little ride as much as I did.


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